PHOTOS: BSA’s IndyCar makes its 2012 debut. And then …

Driver James Jakes and his No. 19 car crashed in Sunday’s race after just 19 laps.

So what’s the good news? That St. Petersburg, Fla., event was the first of 15 races this season. So Jakes and the BSA Racing team have plenty of time to turn it around.

And maybe better news for you fans of Team BSA, I’ve got some exclusive photos from last weekend’s action. More on that later.

First, a quick race recap: Shortly after making a pit stop during a caution, Jakes’ brakes glazed-over as he entered Turn 10. This sent the car into the tire barriers, damaging the front wing and ending the team’s day prematurely. Jakes finished 26th in the race, which Helio Castronoves won.

“We had a good car today,” Jakes said after the race. “It wasn’t the start to the season that the No. 19 Boy Scouts of America Honda team was looking for. I’m looking forward to shaking this weekend off and running at Barber Motorsports Park next weekend. Hopefully we can bring home a Top 10 finish.”

The drivers weren’t the only ones racing last weekend. As you’ll see in the slideshow below, runners had their own dash to the finish line. At this “race before the race” — 5 kilometers instead of 290 — uniformed Boy Scouts conducted a flag ceremony and handed out bottles of water to runners.

A high-profile bit of PR as Scouts did their Good Turn before watching IndyCar drivers make hundreds of their own.

The next race — no joke! — is April 1 in Birmingham, Ala. Catch it at 2 p.m. Eastern on NBC Sports Network (formerly Versus).

What do you think?

Does your Scout unit have plans to see the BSA IndyCar this season? Tell me about them below.

Slideshow from St. Pete

Check out some excellent photos from BSA photographer Roger Morgan:

About the BSA IndyCar

The BSA No. 19 IndyCar, a generous gift of Dale Coyne and his wife, Gail, gives Scouts of all ages the chance to learn more about the science, technology, engineering, and math that go into racing. The car and its operation are funded by Dale Coyne Racing, not the Boy Scouts of America.

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Bryan on Scouting is the official blog of Scouting magazine, a Boy Scouts of America publication. Scouting magazine is published five times a year and is received by 1 million registered adult volunteers.